Chapter 4 - The General's Wife is an Illegal Resident in the Star System

Translator's Note:

Hello, I hope you've all been doing well.

Here you go, and I wish you a good read.

And, as I said before, if you wish to read ahead, you can head over to my Patreon to get early access to all the translated chapters.

He Was Dead

 

 

Countless insect beasts swarmed from every direction, a dense mass of crawling, hissing creatures. They oozed thick, nauseating slime, revealing razor-sharp claws and a ferocious, hideous appearance.

 

The last memory Lu Li could recall since losing his memory was of being surrounded by these very creatures. At the time, survival had seemed hopeless. Exhausted and powerless, he'd faced an inevitable end: being torn apart by the beasts. It was the kind of terror that no student, yet to graduate from the academy, should have to endure.

 

He had once seen a companion ripped to pieces by these beasts, even devoured—bones snapping, blood and entrails spilling everywhere in a scene that was both cruel and searingly visceral. The horror of it had pushed his endurance to the limit, and even now, just seeing these creatures brought that scene flooding back.

 

For him, this wasn't something that happened three years ago; it felt as vivid as if it had been just yesterday. It was impossible not to feel fear.

 

In his memory, he and a few companions had been besieged by around a hundred of these beasts, and even then, survival had been nearly impossible. But now, the swarm of insect beasts before him was far greater.

 

Several times greater? Perhaps dozens of times. He was beginning to think it might be a hundred times more. Yet, the scene unfolding before him left him astounded.

 

There were only a few people on their side, and yet, surrounded by thousands of insect beasts, they didn't retreat. Instead, the bodies of the beasts were piling up at their feet, as if they weren't facing up to some fearsome creatures that instilled terror throughout the galaxy but a mere swarm of bugs.

 

Overwhelmed, Lu Li's mind wandered for a moment. He didn't notice a smaller insect beast sizing him up, baring its sharp teeth. It took advantage of his distraction and lunged at him.

 

This particular type of insect beast specialized in ambushes. Its small size made it easy to overlook, yet its claws contained venom potent enough to spread through the body in seconds. Even someone with extraordinary physical resilience would barely last, often dying instantly.

 

Lu Li remembered his instructor describing this type of insect beast back in his academy days. He could still recall the instructor's expression when talking about it: serious, mixed with hatred and fear, as this beast had inflicted immense casualties on the Federation.

 

This beast was elusive, difficult to kill, and remained one of the Federation's greatest threats.

 

Thankfully, it didn't reproduce as rapidly as other insect beasts. Otherwise, the human world might have long since faced extinction.

 

Returning to the present, by the time Lu Li realized he'd committed a grave mistake on the battlefield, it was too late. The beast was almost upon him, and it was clear he wouldn't escape. A cold flash suddenly streaked past, so fast he thought it was a trick of his mind. The insect beast was instantly sliced in two, falling in pieces at his feet.

 

A tall, imposing figure now stood protectively in front of him. Lu Li had to look up to see the back of his head. Although he said nothing, Lu Li could feel the unspoken message: As long as I'm here, no one—not even these creatures—will harm you.

 

In that instant, Lu Li felt that perhaps getting married to him wasn't so bad after all. Though this legal partner had appeared out of nowhere, the last two months had shown him that Qin Yu genuinely cared for him. Perhaps, in those lost three years, there lay a journey of growing from strangers to lovers.

 

Lu Li knew himself well. He wouldn't have married anyone without reason—only someone he loved could hold that place in his life. Otherwise, he would never treat marriage so casually.

 

His hand was suddenly held, and when he looked up, he met Qin Yu's calm gaze.

 

"Stay close to me."

 

"Sorry, I got distracted for a moment, but it won't happen again." Lu Li apologized sincerely. In battle, especially against insect beasts, losing focus was unforgivable. As a General, Qin Yu would surely despise such a basic mistake.

 

"I'm here," Qin Yu replied simply.

 

Lu Li paused, his mind flashing back to events of the past two months.

 

It had been two months since Qin Yu discovered his memory loss, and they'd arrived on this insect-infested planet just days ago, after previously being stationed on Star MA01.

 

With the recent surge in insect beast numbers, attacks had become frequent, so Qin Yu and his forces had been specifically deployed to exterminate the threat.

 

As for why he'd been on the Glory Empire's flagship in the first place, Lu Li had finally pieced together the answer.

 

Qin Yu, true to his promise, had recounted in full the story of how they met and decided to marry. As he'd expected, they had fallen in love freely and mutually chosen to be together. Although it was only Qin Yu's side of the story, Lu Li found himself believing him.

 

Two months was enough time to understand a person; Qin Yu was one to say exactly what he meant and never wasted words.

 

There was another reason Lu Li had come to accept this truth.

 

At first, he couldn't believe he was already married, and to a man at that. While same-sex marriages were as common as heterosexual ones these days, many men still instinctively envisioned a woman as their life partner.

 

Lu Li had always assumed he'd marry a woman and that they'd grow old with mutual respect.

 

This assumption was shattered after he lost his memory—and even more so when he learned that his husband was from a different country. It had been too much to take in all at once.

 

Later, on Star MA01, he found a chance to access the galactic network and search for information about himself, only to discover a shocking truth.

 

According to the Federation's population registry, he was officially listed as deceased. And his recorded date of death was precisely three years ago.

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